Website that analyses the Anni Dewani murder in detail

[Passer-by]

So on the one hand he pushed through all the licensed taxi drivers inside the airport and must have walked out down the road to the carpark to find an unlicensed one that was cheaper, but on the other he's easy with giving him upfront payment of £250. 

I posted you a photo yesterday which showed you that you drive along a highway through townships/slums to get to the V&A - when I first saw them I found it shocking.  Dewani won't have though because he spent a lot of time in India and will have known there that you don't give a poor person £250 cash either.

He's a business man:  he knows you don't give money to someone over whom you have no return if it goes wrong.

 

[dewanifacts]

The simple answer to this would be that Tongo sold the trip to Shrien Dewani probably offering him some sort of incentive for cash.

Precisely. In fact what Tongo offered was the promise of a helicopter ride that no other helicopter provider could offer. A helicopter ride that could land on Table Mountain. Such a ride is impossible because aircraft are not permitted near table mountain, but Dewani was so wet he fell for it. Dewani mentioned the planned ride in his interview with Dan Newling, less than 48 hours after the murder.

[Passer-by]

The Guy is squeaky-clean John:  there's nothing on him.  That is the joy of a verbal contract:  it's not worth the paper it's written on.

But absolutely everything points to his involvement.

He had to come up with something quick for the helicopter excuse and he will not have known where they took off from is close to the hotel, or the advertising fro them around the V&A, there will have been a box of pamphlets for local attractions in the hotel foyer, there will have been a lovely faux-leather A4 folder in his room listen all the services in and out if the hotel - there will have been a page with the telephone numbers of the helicopter tours inside or it will have been typed 'please call Reception for them to book it for you'.

Customer Service in SA is ace:  you turn up a complete nobody and with the exchange rate in your favour you are treated like a Prince, nowhere more so than in a 5 Star hotel in the very year they were hosting The World Cup:  I was there at that time - the whole place was buzzing with excitement and they were busting their guts to show the world how fantastic the new South Africa was for tourists.

No need to ask the unlicensed taxi driver - who will have been barely literate.

[John]

So on the one hand he pushed through all the licensed taxi drivers inside the airport and must have walked out down the road to the carpark to find an unlicensed one that was cheaper, but on the other he's easy with giving him upfront payment of £250. 

I posted you a photo yesterday which showed you that you drive along a highway through townships/slums to get to the V&A - when I first saw them I found it shocking.  Dewani won't have though because he spent a lot of time in India and will have known there that you don't give a poor person £250 cash either.

He's a business man:  he knows you don't give money to someone over whom you have no return if it goes wrong.

But he didn't give the R10,000 to Tongo, another reason why he should have had an opportunity to explain it all on the stand.

Unfortunately, the Judge was persuaded by the defence that the other three defendants were unreliable as witnesses so deprived Dewani of the opportunity to clear these issues up.

[dewanifacts]

No need to ask the unlicensed taxi driver - who will have been barely literate.

Yet he did. Seems in keeping with his overall naivety does it not?  Also seems in keeping with his discount seeking ways, does it not? Saved on the taxi, saved on the game reserve accomodation by pretending to be a travel agent....

[Passer-by]

Precisely. In fact what Tongo offered was the promise of a helicopter ride that no other helicopter provider could offer. A helicopter ride that could land on Table Mountain. Such a ride is impossible because aircraft are not permitted near table mountain, but Dewani was so wet he fell for it. Dewani mentioned the planned ride in his interview with Dan Newling, less than 48 hours after the murder.

What utter gibberish.  There is no way an illiterate black taxi driver could get a discount of a wealthy white helicopter pilot:  it is laughable to suggest it.  How many did you try to strike up a conversation with? You most certainly wouldn't be under the impression they are persuasive deal-doers like they might be in, say, an Arabic country.  You'd be just about ok for them to drive the car.

Dewani came from India:  his ability to spot a complete nobody will have been finely tuned. 

The top of Tabke Mountain is only flat from the front - it slopes up the back, isn't that high easy easily walked up and down before lunch, has a cable car going up it and is only remarkable once you are up there for the view.  It's a Nature Reserve, has a lake on top, is covered in massive rocks and has a huge updraft from the sea and seriously a hundred other reasons why you wouldn't bother taking a helicopter up there.  The exciting thing from the helicopter is diving down to look at Wales and seeking the beautiful wild coastline.  The Top of Table is quite boring apart from the view from the edge.

That whole suggestion is just crazy.

[Passer-by]

Yet he did. Seems in keeping with his overall naivety does it not?  Also seems in keeping with his discount seeking ways, does it not? Saved on the taxi, saved on the game reserve accomodation by pretending to be a travel agent....

He's proved he's a slippery liar, not naive.  This naive man was paying to be racially abused by a gay prostitute whilst coming up with excuses why he wouldn't sleep with his lovely wife, remember:  he was deliberately duplicitous.  He deliberately planned a very expensive wedding - an expense born by Anni's family - to keep his parents happy even though he knew he was gay.

[dewanifacts]

What utter gibberish.  There is no way an illiterate black taxi driver could get a discount of a wealthy white helicopter pilot:  it is laughable to suggest it. 

Yes, that is precisely the point. Tongo duped Dewani into thinking he could wangle some incredible romantic experience.

No such experience existed. No such pilot existed. All that was required was for Tongo to make Dewani believe that it was possible, and Tongo cunningly ensured that a large sum of cash was in the car when his robbery took place.  We already know that Tongo had successfully gained the trust of his two clients. He even testified in court about how he pointed out notable things on the way back from the airport to show clients he was a knowledgeable, worthy tour guide whom they could trust.

You have a very aggressive tone, if you don't mind me saying. Try to be polite.

[Anna]

But he didn't give the R10,000 to Tongo, another reason why he should have had an opportunity to explain it all on the stand.

Unfortunately, the Judge was persuaded by the defence that the other three defendants were unreliable as witnesses so deprived Dewano of the opportunity to clear these issues up.

Dewani's legal team brought the discharge application in terms of section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act, opening the way for a discharge if the court believes there is no credible evidence at the close of the State's case.

The witnesses were deemed unreliable and the only way evidence would be available, is if he incriminated himself in the box. I am sure that his legal team, did not want to risk that.

[dewanifacts]

Passer-by, your contribution is intriguing, albeit aggressive and unpleasant in tone. You have written thousands of words telling this thread how dishonesty, lying and thieving are prolific in South Africa. Yet you go on to claim that it is beyond belief that a lowly taxi driver (your words, not mine) would gain the trust of his clientele and then set them up to be robbed.


 

[Passer-by]

Passer-by, your contribution is intriguing, albeit aggressive and unpleasant in tone. You have written thousands of words telling this thread how dishonesty, lying and thieving are prolific in South Africa. Yet you go on to claim that it is beyond belief that a lowly taxi driver (your words, not mine) would gain the trust of his clientele and then set them up to be robbed.

My tone is aggressive because at the outset you were patronising and also tried to BS your knowledge of the area from a 2 week holiday to over-ride my detailed knowledge of a great deal of the area and setting.

I am not saying it is beyond belief Tongo is dishonest - I'm saying it's beyond belief he would pass as a credible agent for the joys of Cape Town Tourism and it's beyond belief  a suave urbane  self-made millionaire accustomed to an even stricter social hierarchy in India would think such.   I strongly suspect there would have been a cumbersome language barrier between them even if they had both been talking English.  I don't recall using the word 'lowly' - I believe I used the word 'illiterate'.  Tongo is 34, therefore he is part of the 'Lost Generation' that obeyed the ANC idea of boycotting education in order to deny the Apartheid regime a functioning workforce:  this was in place until 1990 when he would have been about 10.  It only requires a bribe at certain test centres to get a driving license (I had a load of people in the queue offer it to me when I took my own test - happily I wasn't in need to cheat).

There won't have been much small talk.

[John]

Mbolombo not to face prosecution despite trial Judge's direction.

'Mastermind' behind murder of Anni Dewani escapes justice... despite admitting he was 'very much in charge' of plot to kill her

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3131021/Mastermind-murder-Anni-Dewani-escapes-justice-despite-admitting-charge-plot-kill-her.html

[John]

Yes, that is precisely the point. Tongo duped Dewani into thinking he could wangle some incredible romantic experience.

No such experience existed. No such pilot existed. All that was required was for Tongo to make Dewani believe that it was possible, and Tongo cunningly ensured that a large sum of cash was in the car when his robbery took place.  We already know that Tongo had successfully gained the trust of his two clients. He even testified in court about how he pointed out notable things on the way back from the airport to show clients he was a knowledgeable, worthy tour guide whom they could trust.

You have a very aggressive tone, if you don't mind me saying. Try to be polite.

A question which the trial Judge raised and which you might have considered.  Why would Tongo and Mbolombo put their necks in a noose for a mere £250 (Tongo's fee)?   Did Mbolombo get anything in the end?

Was this a robbery which went wrong when Anni's killer attempted to molest her?

[Passer-by]

In fact, he may not even have had a driving license.  It wasn't even obligatory to have insurance and £5 inside your passport/ID book would get you off a speeding fine.

John:  did you see my post about the value of 1 cent?

[John]

In fact, he may not even have had a driving license.  It wasn't even obligatory to have insurance and £5 inside your passport/ID book would get you off a speeding fine.

John:  did you see my post about the value of 1 cent?

I haven't read the entire thread yet but did go to your post.  I will admit I was shocked when I realised that 10,000 Rand was only worth around 500 quid; is life really so cheap in SA?